Rotary engine.



No. 851,944. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

J. A. KRAY. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 5, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.No. 851,944. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

' J. A. KRAY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M mm UNITED STATES PATENT oTTTon.

JOHN A. KRAY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO DANIEL M. ROTI-IENBERGER AND ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES S. FOLTZ,

OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed June 5.1905. Serial No. 263.820.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN A. KRAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Rotary Engines, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines, and consists of certain improvements in that type of engine in which a rotating member carries a blade or piston against which the -force of the expanding fluid is adapted to act.

My invention is fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is an outside elevation of the en.

1 gine forming the subject of my invention; Fig. 2, is a sectional view of the same on the line aa, Fig. 3; Fig. 3, is a cross-sectional view on the line b-b, Fig' 1; and Figs. 1, 5 and 6, are sectional views illustrating details of my invention.

In the drawings herewith, 1 represents the shell or casing of the structure, 2 a rotating disk disposed between the walls of said shell, and 3 the blade or piston carried by said disk. The casing is enlarged at 4 to accommodate such piston, and the hub of the disk may be provided with ball-bearings to reduce the friction in rotating.

The shaft 5 to which the disk 2 is attached 0 rotates in suitable bearings carried by the casing, and is provided at one end with a pul ley 7 and at the opposite end with afly-wheel 8.

To control the inlet of motive fluid, a rock ing valve 10 is provided, suitably journaled 5 in the upper part of the casing and connected by suitable means with a source of steam supply 11. To rock this valve, a cam 12 mounted on the fly-wheel is provided, which cam engages a roller 13 carried by a crank arm 14 on the end oi the valve stem 15.

T 0 provide an abutment or wall between which and the moving piston the expanding fluid is adapted to act, I employ the rocking member 20 mounted in an enlarged portion 21 of the casing and suitably journaled in the walls of the latter. This member has circular ends with a semi-circular body having one surface 22, on the arc of rotation and fitting the wall of the enlarged portion 21,

5 and a face 23 which corresponds to the curvature or are of the path of the piston, so

that when displaced the latter can freely pass the same. The front and rear walls of the piston have the same curvature as the surface 22 of the rocking member 20, enabling said rocking member to be quickly restored to its normal position after the passage of the piston and providinga chamber of greatly reduced area for the initail pressure of the motive fluid. The rocking member carries at its outer end a crank arm 24 having an anti-friction roller 25, and to engage this member, a cam 26 is mounted on the-flywheel. This cam is so disposed with respect to the cam controlling the valve for the inlet of steam as to restore the member to its ver tical position to serve as an abutment, immediately after the piston or blade passes the same, and as soon as it reaches this position, the cam controlling the steam inlet is in position to act. The motive fluid exhausts through the outlet 30, which may be open at all times or controlled by a suitable rocking valve.

To assist in restoring the rocking member or abutment 20 to its normal position, a tersion spring 31 is operatively connected to its hub 82.

The piston is provided with packing plates on its several faces, indicated in the detail views at 33, and engaging the walls of the casing. This packing is dovetailed in shape and adapted to suitable recesses in the piston and arranged to take up wear. To hold this packing against the walls of the casing, openings 3*} are provided in the rear of the piston to permit the inlet of pressure driving the piston, which openings communicate with such packing to enable the pressure to hold them out against the wall of the casing. 'i he rocking member forming the abutment is also provided with packing blades or plates of this same character, but these are preterably held to the casing by means of springs 35. In some instances, I may provide this rocking member with ball-bearings at the edge of its end rims 36 although this is not absolutely essential and may be omitted ii the expense does not warrant its inclusion.

To lubricate the face oi. the disk and the walls of the casing adjacent thereto, the disk is provided with a series of curved grooves 37 for the passage of oil which may be distributed thereto by oil cups 38 attached to the casing near the hub of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk confined by said casing within which it is adapted to rotate, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, a rocking member mounted in the casing and having its aXis coincident with the inner wall of the same, said rocking member arranged to be displaced to permit movement of the piston and then to close the passage for the latter and form an abutment between which and the moving piston the eX- panding motive fluid is adapted to act and having one face on the same are as the path of the piston and another face on the arc of rotation, which latter face when said rocking member forms an abutment is disposed to ward the moving piston and pressure controlled packing carried by said piston.

2. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk confined by said casing within which it is adapted to rotate, a piston carried by said disk and adapted'to the peripheral chamber, a rocking member journaled in the casing and arranged to be displaced to permit the movement of the piston and then to close the passage for the latter and form an abutment between which and the moving piston the expanding motive fluid is adapted to act, means for admitting fluid under pressure to act upon the piston after it has passed said rocking member or abutment, the latter having its face on the arc of rotation adjacent to the motive fluid inlet and disposed toward the moving piston, and packing carried by said piston for engagement with the walls of the casing, said packing being held to such engagement by pressure entering the piston.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a rotating disk disposed therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, a rocking abutment journaled in the casing having one face on the arc of movement of the rotating piston and another on the arc of rotation, an inlet valve mounted adj acent to said piston, means for operating the rocking abutment to permit the piston to pass the same and restoring said abutment after the piston has passed, means for operating the inlet valve after the rocking abutment has been restored to its normal position with its face on the arc of rotation ad a-' cent the motive fluid inlet and disposed toward the moving piston, and pressure con trolled packing carried by said piston.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a rotating disk disposed therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, a rocking abutment journaled in the casing having one face on the same are as the path of the piston and another on the arc of rotation, means for operating said abutment to permit the passage of the piston, a rocking inlet valve mounted beyond the rocking abutment, means for operating said valve after the piston has passed the rocking abutment and the latter has been restored to its normal position with its face on the arc of rotation adjacent the motive fluid inlet and disposed toward the moving piston and pressure controlled packing carried by said piston.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a rotating disk mounted therein, a

piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, a rocking abutment journaled in said casing having one face on the arc of movement of the piston and an other on the arc of rotation, a rocking valve controlling the supply of motive fluid to act on said piston and mounted beyond the rocking abutment, a fly-wheel, and means combined therewith for rocking said valve after the piston has passed the rocking abutment and inlet port.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a rotating disk mounted therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, a rocking abutment journaled in said casing having one face on the arc of movement of the piston and another on the arc of rotation, a rocking valve controlling the supply of motive fluid, a flywheel, an arm carried by the rocking valve, and a cam carried by the .fly-wheel and adapted to engage the arm of the valve and rock the same so as to admit motive fluid after the piston has passed the rocking abutment.

7. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk inclosed thereby and rotatable therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, means for supplying motive fluid to act upon said piston, a rocking abutment journaled in the easing having one face on the arc of movement of the piston and another face on the arc of rotation, a flywheel, means carried by said flywheel for moving said abutment to permit passage of the piston, and means for restoring said piston to its normal position with its face on the arc of rotation adjacent the motive fluid inlet.

8. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk rotatable therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to said pe- IIO ripheral chamber, means for supplying motive fluid to act upon said piston, a rocking abutment having a face on the arc of movement of the piston and another face on the arc of rotation, having its flattest face disposed normally toward the approaching piston, a fly-wheel, a cam carried by said :llywheel for moving the abutment to permit the passage of the piston, and means for restoring said abutment to its normal position.

9. The combination in a rotary engine, of the disk, a casing inclosing the same and having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a piston carried by said disk adapted to said chamber and having dovetailed recesses in its faces, dovetailed packing plates disposed in said recesses and having their narrow faces disposed outwardly, and means for holding said packing plates against the walls of the peripheral chamber.

10. The combination in a rotary engine, of the disk, a casing inclosing the same and having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a piston carried by said disk adapted to said chamber and having dovetailed recesses in its faces, and dovetailed packing plates arranged in said recesses and having their narrow faces disposed outwardly, the piston having openings for the passage of motive fluid to hold said packing plates against the walls of the peripheral chamber.

11. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing, a disk mounted therein and contacting with the walls of the casing, hubs mounted on said disk, said disk having a series of grooves disposed on its faces and radiating from said hubs, and means for supplying oil to said grooves.

12. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk confined thereby and rotatable therein, a piston carriedby said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, means for supplying motive fluid to act upon said piston, a rocking abutment journaled in the casing having its axis coincident with the are of travel of the piston, a face on the same are and another face on the arc of rotation, a fly-wheel, a cam carried by said fly-wheel, an arm carried by the abutment and projecting into the path of the cam whereby said abutment may be moved by such engagement, i and means for automatically restoring said abutment to its normal position after the cam passes said arm.

13. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk rotatable therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, means for supplying motive fluid to act upon said piston, a rocking abutment journaled in said casing and having its axis coincident with the arc of travel of the piston, a fly-wheel, a cam carried by said fly-wheel, an arm carried by the abutment and disposed in the path of the cam whereby said abutment may move by such engagement, and a torsion spring encircling the hub of the abutment and having one end connected thereto and its opposite end connected. to the casing, said spring serving to automatically restore said abutment to its normal position after it has been released by the cam.

14. The combination in a rotary engine, of the casing having an enlarged peripheral chamber, a disk rotatable therein, a piston carried by said disk and adapted to the peripheral chamber, and a rocking member mounted in the casing and having its axis coincident with the inner wall of the same,

said rocking member arranged to be dis-' placed to permit movement of the piston and then to close the passage for the latter and form an abutment between which and the moving piston the expanding motive fluid is adapted to act and having one face on the same are as the path of the piston and another face on the arc of rotation, which latter face when said rocking member forms an abutment is disposed toward the moving piston, said piston having its front and rear walls on the same are as the rocking member whereby said rocking member may be shifted immediately after the passage of the piston so that the initial supply of motive fluid will enter a small space and exert its greatest force'upon the moving piston.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. KRAY.

Witnesses:

C. G. BASSLER, JOEL S. EABY. 

